Pride & Prejudice Book Club Podcast

You can tell a lot about a person by the books they read... and by how many Jane Austen action figures they own.

(Let's just say both participants in this interview have a non-zero number.)

In this episode, Emilie sits down with M. Verant, author of the Miss Bennet's Dragon trilogy, and discovers the history buff, hopeless romantic, fantasy world-builder, and lifelong Austen fan behind the books. Their conversation wanders through dragons, Regency England, favorite film adaptations, overlooked characters, and the joy of creating entirely new worlds while staying true to the heart of Pride and Prejudice.

And for those who've already read Miss Bennet's Dragon, stick around for the spoiler section at the end, where Mike shares behind-the-scenes insights into the development of the first book's unforgettable villain.

🎙️ Hosted by Emilie Davis
🎵 Music Credit: Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.
📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com.
➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter/.
✏️ Apply to be a future guest co-host at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/

📖 Learn more about M. Verant, sign up for his newsletter, and explore his books at https://mverant.com (or follow him on Bluesky)

Some books are so good you can't help but reread them over and over again. And when they're really good, you discover something new every time.

That's exactly what happened when listener Rachael Dague joined Emilie as a guest co-host to revisit Unfounded by Jessie Lewis.

Everyone already knows Emilie is a huge Jessie Lewis fan (with Mistaken still narrowly holding the top spot), but Unfounded isn't far behind. This episode is definitely a gushy one, filled with our favorite moments (romantic and otherwise!). But rereading the book also led to a few delightful revelations, especially for Emilie, as we uncovered details we'd somehow missed before, including the realization that Mrs. Reynolds's prejudice mirrors Elizabeth's in the original Pride and Prejudice.

As always, the conversation eventually wanders into other great variations and all the reasons we love Darcy and Elizabeth. Whether you're reading Unfounded for the first time or the fifth, we think you'll find something new to love right alongside us.

🎙️ Hosted by Emilie Davis and special guest co-host Rachael Dague

🎵 Music Credit: Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!

✏️ Apply to be a Co-Host here: https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/nerd

It's time to say goodbye to The Other Bennet Sister.

Not gonna lie, we're genuinely sad to see this series end! (Well... mostly. We do have a Christmas special to look forward to in December!) We've developed a genuine affection for adorable corner of the Pride and Prejudice-adjacent world. In this podcast episode, we talk about our favorite beats, how much we love Tanya Reynolds (the actress who plays Caroline Bingley), some of the differences from the book that we spotted in the series, and the moments that were just plain CUTE!

It's been fun while it lasted, and we're so glad you're here with us!

What did YOU think of The Other Bennet Sister? Let us know!

 

🎙️ Hosted by Emilie Davis and Sharon Cortez
🎵 Music Credit: Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.
📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!
➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!
✏️ Apply to be a Co-Host here: https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/nerd

This week we're joined by not one, not two, but three Jane Austen Fan Fiction authors! Jeff Bigler, Leigh Dreyer, and Diane Ferguson stop by the podcast to talk about Courting by the Book, a one-of-a-kind collaborative anthology where eleven authors tell an interconnected Pride & Prejudice story, each bringing their own voice, favorite tropes, and creative twists to the journey.

From the initial brainstorming sessions to developmental editing involving authors in multiple countries, this conversation offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how an ambitious collaborative novel came together. We also dive into JAFFCON (registration coming soon!), favorite Pride & Prejudice variations, how anthologies help us discover new authors, and Leigh's surprisingly important contribution of one very memorable goose.

If you've ever wondered what happens when a group of passionate JAFF authors decide to build a literary multiverse together, this episode is for you!

Connect with our guests:

Jeff Bigler
Website: https://jeffbigler.com
Facebook: Jeff Bigler (author page and personal profile)

Leigh Dreyer
Email: leighdreyerauthor@gmail.com
Facebook: Leigh Dreyer (or Jessica Moynihan Washer)

Diane Ferguson
Facebook: Diane Ferguson in various JAFF Facebook groups (website and author pages coming soon!)

Learn more about JAFFCON at: https://jaffwriterreadergettogether.org

🎙️ Hosted by Emilie Davis
🎵 Music Credit: Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.
📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!
➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!
✏️ Apply To Be a Co-Host Here: https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/nerd

Sharon has reached the "six rewatches and a conspiracy board" stage of binge watching!

This week we're diving into Episodes 5–7 of The Other Bennet Sister, where Mary finds confidence in London...then promptly manages to lose it again. Mr. Ryder makes a very indecent proposal, Elizabeth and Mary share one of the series' best conversations (the actors definitely brought their A-game to that scene!), and we continue to wonder what, exactly, is going on in Tom's head.

What started as pure delight has evolved into some strong opinions, especially from Sharon! We're talking red flags, green flags, love triangles, adaptation choices, and why certain characters are giving us more and more reasons to yell at the television.

If you've been watching along, come join us for another spirited discussion and just enough hopeless romanticism to keep things interesting.

🎙️ Hosted by Emilie Davis and Sharon Cortez

🎵 Music Credit: Pride & Prejudice Book Club Theme composed, performed, and arranged by Megan Mason.

📚 See a list of books we've read at prideandprejudicebookclub.com!

➡️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/newsletter!

✏️ Apply To Be a Co-Host Here: https://www.prideandprejudicebookclub.com/nerd